U.S. patent number 3,972,273 [Application Number 05/554,384] was granted by the patent office on 1976-08-03 for valve assembly with water dispersing and spreading system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated. Invention is credited to Richard H. Carlson, Youn H. Ting.
United States Patent |
3,972,273 |
Carlson , et al. |
August 3, 1976 |
Valve assembly with water dispersing and spreading system
Abstract
A valve assembly with a water dispersing and spreading system
preferrable for use in drip-type beverage maker comprising a
housing having a passage extending therethrough with the passage
having an inlet, an outlet, and a valve seat therebetween. A
thermostatic dish-shaped snap-acting bimetallic disk constitutes
the valve member and is positioned in the passage in engagement
with the valve seat thereby to block communication through the
passage while in the first curvature position and while in the
second curvature position to move clear of the valve seat to permit
the flow of fluid therepast. The disk is movable from the first
curvature position to the second and back again upon changes in
temperature of the disk. A spring member biases the disk toward the
valve seat in sealing engagement when the disk is in its first
curvature position. An abutment in the housing engageable by the
center portion of the disk as the disk moves to its second position
insures that the periphery of the disk moves clear of the valve
seat. In communication with the outlet passage, a plurality of
outwardly curved channels are formed in the housing with a
dispersing disk centrally blocking the outlet and thereby forcing
the flow of fluid through the channels in a radially outward
direction.
Inventors: |
Carlson; Richard H.
(Cumberland, RI), Ting; Youn H. (Attleboro, MA) |
Assignee: |
Texas Instruments Incorporated
(Dallas, TX)
|
Family
ID: |
24213129 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/554,384 |
Filed: |
March 3, 1975 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/300; 99/305;
99/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J
31/461 (20180801); A47J 31/106 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47J
31/10 (20060101); A47J 031/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;99/307,293-294,295,299,300,302,304,305,306-307,346 ;137/61.1,331
;236/93,101 ;239/597,601 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Christian; Leonard D.
Assistant Examiner: Henderson; Arthur O.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Haug; John A. McAndrews; James P.
Baumann; Russell E.
Claims
We claim:
1. A valve assembly comprising: a housing having a passage
extending therethrough, said passage having an inlet and an outlet
with a valve seat therebetween; a valve member engageable with said
valve seat; means to move said valve member into or out of
engagement with said valve seat; and dispersing means at the outlet
of said valve assembly comprising a dispersing disk positioned at
said outlet passage and a plurality of channels in communication
with said outlet passage which extend radially outward from said
outlet passage around said dispersing disk, said dispersing disk
blocking the flow of fluid coming from said outlet passage thereby
causing said fluid to flow in the plurality of channels.
2. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality
of channels are equally spaced apart in said housing to provide
uniform radial fluid distribution from said valve.
3. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the plurality
of channels is four.
4. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said valve
member is a thermostatic dish-shaped bimetallic disk adapted to
abruptly snap from a first curvature position in which the outer
periphery of said disk is in engagement with said valve seat
thereby blocking communication through said passage to a second
curvature position in which said disk is clear of said valve seat
thereby permitting the flow of fluid therethrough.
5. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 4 in which the means to
move said valve member is thermal actuation of the thermostatic
snap-acting bimetallic disk valve member.
6. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 5 further including a
raised abutment means engageable by the center portion of said
bimetallic disk as the bimetallic disk snaps from its first to its
second curvature position thereby ensuring the movement of the
periphery of said bimetallic disk clear of the valve seat.
7. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including a
retaining spring having means engageable with said housing for
securing the retaining spring therein, said retaining spring having
a resiliently flexible arm engageable with said bimetallic disk
biasing said bimetallic disk toward said valve seat and holding
said bimetallic disk in sealing engagement therewith when said
bimetallic disk is in its first curvature position.
8. A drip type beverage maker comprising a frame, a reservoir of
water supported by said frame, heating means for heating the water
in the reservoir, a brewing chamber for receiving water at a
predetermined temperature from said reservoir and for having said
water pass through infusion material contained therein and out an
exit hole into a holding container, and valve means for dispersing
the water uniformly within said brewing chamber comprising a
housing having a passage extending therethrough, said passage
having an inlet and an outlet with a valve seat therebetween, a
valve member engageable with said valve seat, means to move said
valve member into or out of engagement with said valve seat, and
dispersing means at the outlet of said valve assembly including a
dispersing disk positioned at said outlet passage and a plurality
of channels in communication with said outlet passage which extend
radially outward from said outlet passage around said dispersing
disk, said dispersing disk blocking the flow of fluid coming from
said outlet passage thereby causing said fluid to flow in the
plurality of channels.
9. A drip-type beverage maker as set forth in claim 8 wherein said
plurality of channels are equally spaced apart in said housing to
provide uniform spreading.
10. A drip-type beverage maker as set forth in claim 9 wherein said
valve means includes locking means for securing said valve in said
reservoir independent of an external retainer mechanism.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a valve assembly with an internal fluid
distribution system and more particularly to a dump valve useful in
a drip-type coffee or other beverage maker which contains an
integral water dispersing and spreading system upon dumping of
fluid into a brewing chamber or the like.
In order to obtain uniformly good coffee, the hot water must be
distributed over all of the coffee grounds and not just at a center
dump point of a valve. This necessitates the use of a dispersing
system to spread the water coming out of the valve onto the coffee
grounds. The dispersing requirement involves the use of an external
distribution system in the design of a coffee maker and the
associated cost, manufacturing problems and reliability
factors.
Among the several objects of this invention is to provide a valve
assembly which contains an integral water dispersing and spreading
system to permit a relatively high rate of flow of liquid
therethrough. Another object of this invention is to provide a
valve which may readily be installed as a unit in an appliance such
as a drip-type coffee maker. Still another object of this invention
is to provide a valve of sanitary construction for use with food,
potable liquids, and the like. Yet another object of this invention
is to provide a valve which may be readily manufactured at a low
cost and which is reliable in operation. Other objects and features
of this invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out
hereinafter.
Briefly, the valve assembly of this invention comprises a housing
having a passage extending therethrough with an inlet and an outlet
therein and a valve seat between the inlet and the outlet. A
snap-acting, dish-shaped bimetallic disk preferrably constitutes
the valve member and snaps back from a closed valve position to an
open valve position and back again in response to temperature
changes of the disk. A spring member biases the bimetallic disk
toward the closed valve position to insure proper sealing and an
abutment in the housing engageable by the center portion of the
disk as the disk moves to the open valve position insures the disk
is clear of the O-ring to permit the flow of liquid therethrough.
In the housing at the outlet of the passage and in communication
therewith a plurality of outwardly curved channels are formed to
provide flow paths for the fluid out of the valve. A dispersing
disk is centrally mounted to block the fluid coming from the outlet
of the passage and cause it to exit through the outwardly curved
channels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the dump valve of this invention with
some parts broken away for clarity;
FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the dump valve of this invention
with the dispersing disk partially broken away for clarity;
FIG. 3 is a vertical section view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1
showing in solid lines the valve in its closed position and in
broken lines the valve in its open position; and
FIG. 4 is a verticle section view of the dump valve of this
invention positioned in a drip-type beverage maker.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout the several views of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, a dump valve assembly of this
invention is indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1-3 and is shown to comprise
a housing 12 of a suitable molded material, such as thermosetting
synthetic resin material. Housing 12 has a central passage 14 with
an inlet 16 and outlet 18 and an O-ring 20 constituting a valve
seat therebetween. O-ring 20 may be made from a resilient flexible
material such as rubber. A snap-acting dish-shaped bimetallic
member 22 preferrably serves as the valve member and is positioned
in passage 14. Disk 22 may be nickel or tin plated to provide the
corrosion resistance needed to keep the disk in sanitary condition.
Disk 22 has a first curvature position in which the disk is bowed
toward O-ring 20 as shown by the solid line position in FIG. 3 and
a second curvature position to which it snaps at a first
pre-established temperature in which it is out of engagement with
O-ring 20 as shown by the dashed line position in FIG. 3. Disk 22
is automatically reversibly movable from its second curvature
position to its first curvature position to close the dump valve
upon being subjected to a second pre-established temperature.
Dump valve 10 further includes a resilient retaining spring member
24 as shown by FIGS. 1 and 3 for biasing valve disk member 22
toward O-ring 20. This biasing means holds the disk in positive
sealing engagement with the O-ring 20 when the disk is in its first
or closed position. It will be understood that the biasing means
exerts a force sufficient to maintain sealing engagement of the
disk with the O-ring, but does not permit the application of
excessive forces to the O-ring which could cause a compression set
of the elastomer so as to permanently deform the O-ring and thus
cause leakage.
Housing 12 is generally circular in cross-section and has a
relatively large diameter inlet portion 26 and a relatively small
diameter outlet portion 28. The outside of inlet portion 26 is
provided with locking means 30 for sealingly securing dump valve 10
in the opening of the bottom wall of a water reservoir 70 for
drip-type coffee maker 72 as shown in FIG. 4. Locking means 30 may
be a twist and seal bayonet type lock which does not require the
use of snap rings or other external retainer mechanism. The groove
30 in the outlet of inlet portion 26 serves to lock valve 10 in
place. Inlet portion 26 has a generally circular recess 32 therein
and outlet portion 28 has an outlet passage 34 therethrough of
smaller diameter than recess 32 and in communication with a
plurality of channels 36 to be discussed more below. Recesses 32
and 34 are separated by a shoulder 38. Equidistant from the center
of housing 12 and positioned on shoulder 38 are four projections 40
spaced 90.degree. apart and made from the same material as the
housing. These projections form a frame for O-ring 20 to fit over.
Also, two of the projections 40 extend across the inlet end of
outlet passage 34 to form a spider with a nob 42 extending up above
the level of shoulder 38 and projections 40 thereby to constitute
abutment means 44. Abutment means 44 is engageable by the center
portion of valve disk 22 as the disk snaps over center from its
first closed valve position to its second open valve position to
insure valve disk is clear of O-ring 20 to permit the flow of
liquid therethrough.
Recess 32 is stepped, as indicated at 46 with this step having
notches 48 therein. Disk 22 is of somewhat smaller diameter than
the internal cross-section of stepped portion 46 of recess 32 and
notches 48 to permit relatively high flow rates of fluid to pass
between the peripheral edge of disk 22 and the walls of the recess.
Stepped portion 46 also serves as a bottom stop to previously
mentioned retainer spring 24. This retainer spring is preferrably
made of a resilient, flexible material, such as a spring stainless
steel or the like. A spring arm 50 is struck from the central
portion of the retainer spring, this arm being disposed to extend
inwardly in recess 32 for resilient engagement with valve disk 22
thereby to resiliently bias the valve disk into engagement with
O-ring 20 when the valve disk is in its first or closed curvature
position. A slot 52 in retainer spring 24 resulting from arm 50
being struck therefrom serves as an opening in the spring through
which water may also flow. Retainer spring is of somewhat larger
diameter than recess 32. The outer margin 54 of disk 22 is bent up
and has a plurality of equally spaced slots 56 therearound defining
a plurality of spaced tabs 58. Upon forcing the retainer spring
into recess 32 until its bottom side engages steps 46, tabs 58 are
forced inwardly of the spring and thus forcibly grip the sides of
the recess so as to prevent removel of the disk from the recess. It
will be understood that slots 56 serve as openings in the disk
through which liquid may pass to flow through passage 14.
In accordance with this invention a dispersing disk 60 as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3 is centrally mounted in a cavity 62 in housing 12 at
the outlet of outlet passage 34. Dispersing disk 60 has a larger
diameter than the diameter of passage 34 to block the flow from the
passage into a coffee brewer chamber 74. The disk 60 may be sealed
in place by deforming part of housing 12 adjacent cavity 62 to
provide a mechanical lock for the disk. The dispersing disk may be
made from a resilient material such as a high temperature plastic.
At a point between the valve seat and dispersing disk 60, a
plurality of channels 36 in communication with passage 34 are
formed in housing 12 extending outwardly and downwardly as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3 to route the flow of fluid from the outlet passage
around dispersing disk 60. Channels 36 are preferrably equally
spaced from one another in the housing to provide uniform fluid
distribution from the valve to brewing chamber 74. Depending on the
ratio of the width to the height of channels 36 different angle of
flow can be achieved. For example, with a wide channel of limited
depth a conical shape for the fluid distribution can be
achieved.
Dump valve 10 may be installed in a coffee maker 72 as shown in
FIG. 4 which comprises a frame 76 that is made out of resilient
corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel. Frame 76
supports water heating reservoir 70 into which water is placed to
be heated by heater coils 78. The water is maintained in the
reservoir until it is heated to a desired temperature range (e.g.,
180.degree.- 195.degree.F.) and dump valve 10 opens. Upon the water
being heated to the desired temperature, as determined by the
temperature at which valve disk 22 snaps over center from its
closed to its open position, the valve disk snaps open (as shown in
broken lines in FIG. 3). As the disk snaps from its closed position
to its open position, the center portion of the disk moves
downwardly and engages or reacts against abutment 44 thereby to
prevent further downward movement of the center portion of the
disk. This in turn forces the periphery of the disk up clear of
O-ring 20 thus opening the valve. With abutment 44 somewhat above
the top surface of O-ring 20, the abutment insures that, when the
disk is in its second curvature position, the peripheral edges of
the disk are spaced above the O-ring a maximum distance
corresponding to the shape of the disk when in its second curvature
position thereby to insure a high flow rate (or dumping rate)
through the valve.
Once the water enters the outlet passage, it is forced through
outwardly extending channels 36 around dispersing disk 60 by the
dispersing disk to dump the fluid radially out from the center of
the valve. This dispersing valve allows the water to be spread over
a large area so that it can hit the coffee grounds or other
infusion material in the brewer chamber 74. The water passes
through the coffee grounds and filter (not shown) and out of brewer
chamber 74 through an exit 82 hole into a holding container 80
until served.
After the water has been dumped from reservoir, disk 13 cools below
its reset temperature, and the valve disk moves over center from
its open to its closed position thereby to close the dump valve. As
the valve disk moves off center toward its closed position, spring
arm 50 maintains the center of the disk against abutment 42 and
thus causes the periphery of the disk to move into engagement with
O-ring 20. Upon snapping over center to its first curvature
position, the center of the disk lifts free of abutment 42 and the
spring arm again maintains the disk seated on O-ring 20.
This integral fluid dispersing and spreading system needs no
external spreading means. The channels are formed right in the
housing for diverting the flow radially outward from the central
outlet passage. The dispersing disk can be easily inserted and
removed again if desired for reclaiming valves after field use. The
housing can be simply molded in one operation, and is therefore
inexpensive to make.
It will be understood that the integral fluid dispersing and
spreading systems of this invention can be used with a mechanical
valve instead of the described thermal valve.
It will be further understood that valves of this invention
intended for use with coffee makers and other food preparation
appliances are conveniently made of materials which are resistant
to deterioration by the fluids to which they are exposed and which
are easily maintained in a sanitary condition.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of
the invention are achieved and other advantageous results
attained.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all
matter contained in the above description or shown in the
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
* * * * *